Pokemon: Jewels of Saman
by Last Legal Drug
Summary: Four Team Rocket agents find themselves wrapped in something bigger than they could ever comprehend as the legend of the ancient land continues and they are forced to face the ghosts of their past.


**Prologue: The Journey Unfolds**

Quietly, the young woman made her way down the narrow white halls, exchanging a nod or a smile with her various peers as they passed. Heels clicking against the hard marble floors, she brushed a lose strand of hair from her face and tucked it into her messy brown bun before returning her arm to her side; the other hand clutched a clipboard and notes loosely with a pen dangling from a string swinging to and fro like a pendulum from the board. Suddenly, she came to the end of the hall and paused momentarily before two large swinging doors, the large illuminated words "Entrance Restricted" looming above the doors in bright red. Adjusting the white collar of her laboratory jacket quickly, she pushed the doors open and continued forward with an air of confidence.

As she made her way into the reception area, the security guard looked up from his Pokemag and slipped it under his desk, smiling through the glass shielding.

"May I help you, Miss? This is a restricted area."

She started in surprised, but only slightly, and then smiled nervously, strolling to the counter and nodding before she finally spoke, "Ah yes, I believe you may. I am Professor Nakamura, and I believe I've been called on to meet with the Director."

Quickly glancing at a list to his left and scanning it for her name, his eyes lit up in recognition and he gave a large nod, "Ah! Nakamura Midori. Yes, I was informed that you'd be arriving. Though it is rather unusual for the Director to call for a meeting at this time of night."

"I imagine it must be important," She smiled again.

Charmed by her smile, he blushed and bowed slightly in his seat, "Indeed! I'm sorry if I'm taking up your time; please, go on ahead."

Returning his bow gratefully, she waved and continued forth through the next set of swinging doors. Once through, her green eyes moved slowly as she surveyed the hallway quickly, taking note of each room and locating the Director's office at the end of the dimly lit hall. Reluctantly at first, she strode down the hallway before giving a loud knock at the door.

"Come in," came the reply.

Without a moment's pause, she turned the knob and pushed the door open, stepping swiftly into the room and allowing the door to close behind her. Clipboard still resting in her arm, she let her free arm rest at her side and stood quietly, staring forward and waiting. The office was large and rather well furnished, quite the norm for a man of his rank. The room was almost as dimly lit as the hall, ornate lamps glowing from all corners of the room, and before her sat a large mahogany desk. Behind it, an older, gray haired man sat quietly in his large leather executive chair as he shuffled through some papers. The golden nameplate on his desk read "Director Matsuo."

"Please, take a seat. This will only take a moment."

Complying, she stepped forward and sat daintily in one of the fancy seats in front of the desk, placing her clipboard on her lap and folding her hands atop of it. Her eyes followed his movements, curiously observing him as he read some lines and then scribbled notes besides them, repeating this process several times. A few moments passed and finally, he spoke.

"Ah.. Yes. That's about it. You'll have to forgive me for that," he said, folding his hands atop his desk and leaning forward slightly, his eyes now entirely on her. "You know how busy things get around here."

Smiling as usual, she nodded, "Oh, of course. One couldn't expect any less from the leading Pokemon University of the region."

"Quite," he stated rather plainly, adjusting the thin rimmed glasses upon his nose before returning his gaze to the young woman. "Anyhow, you're most likely wondering why I summoned you here today."

"Well, yes, sir."

"Well, as you know, we're currently undergoing some very important research right now. In fact, we've been given the privilege of studying a very ancient slab, surely worth a great sum of money. I believe you know the one?"

"Why yes, the slab discovered in the latest archaeological dig in the western islands."

"Indeed. A very precious, very valuable artifact, possibly the most important of our lifetime. It's said to be connected to a lost civilization," he paused, an uncharacteristic grin flashing across his face for a brief moment, "But I digress. This isn't what I called you here for. Actually, we've been conducting some very important security checks lately on the staff. A precautionary measure, you understand."

Her eyes seemed to brighten at the mention of security, but she simply nodded once more, "Of course."

"Well then, I'll skip straight to the point," he leaned forward in his seat and stared her down, "I've been quite interested in your own files."

She remained silent, hands still crossed in her lap.

"You came at a very interesting time. A few months ago now, wasn't it? Things were hectic as we had just promoted several employees and searched endlessly for replacements. Not to mention, the disappearance of one of our best professors threw things even further into chaos," he explained, glancing down at his hands, "Your resume was the best we had encountered in a while and you were accepted immediately. And no doubt, you have more than fulfilled your job obligations. However, we never truly had the opportunity to actually look into your aforementioned resume in detail."

Her silence continued for a moment as she blinked and stared at the man before her, "Is something the matter with it?"

"Actually, yes," he stated rather plainly as he pushed his chair back and rose to his feet, folding his arms behind his back. "We located several inconsistencies. Many things did not add up. Some of your references didn't even exist. And frankly," he paused again, looking down at her and allowing his glasses to slide to end of his nose, "You do not look as old as you have stated in the past. After much deliberation, we have reason to believe you are not you who say you are, Ms. Nakamura."

On this note, the woman arose from her own chair, placing the clipboard behind her on the seat. Crossing her arms, her glance returned to the man before her and suddenly, her demeanor seemed to have changed entirely. Instead of her usual charming smile, the edges of her mouth curled in a grin and she cocked her eyebrows as she addressed him, "Congrats, old man. To think it took you guys this long to figure me out."

Adjusting his glasses, he kept his ground and stared coldly at the transformed woman, "I would not try anything rash, young lady."

On that note, the door swung open and a group of two men and a woman, including the man from minutes before, rushed in from the hall and filled the room, weapons pointed directly at the back of the seemingly unsuspecting woman as they cried, "Freeze!"

Barely acknowledging them, she boldly kept her own ground and continued to stare down the old man.

"Now tell me, why are you here?"

"Why else? Hand over the slab!"

He grinned, "I'm afraid I can't do that. Security!"

The first security guard reached at his belt swiftly, producing a pair of handcuffs in one hand as he continued to point his gun at her with the other. Stepping forward slowly, he began to recite to her her rights. Yet, she remained unmoved and shaking her head, she exclaimed, "Now!"

"Aargghh!"

Immediately, the remaining two security guards reacted swiftly, leaping forth and tackling the first man to the ground with a thud, wrestling away both his weapon and the handcuffs. Watching this turn of events in horror, the Director had little time to react when he realized the girl too had leaped forward and slid across his desk, and with a gruff shove, she pushed him into his expensive chair and straddled his lap. Slowly, she produced her own gun from the inner pocket of her white lab coat and pointed it directly at his nose as she smirked.

"Look, mister, I've been staking this place out for months. I've been up to my neck with rich little brats and monotonous Pokemon classes. I've earned it and I'm afraid I ain't leaving without that slab," she spoke slowly, as if to let the gravity of the situation hit him as effectively as it could, "So if you'll be so kind.."

"Cut the crap, Tenko!" One of the security guards cried, rising from the floor and returning his gun to his belt. Swiftly, he tore his hat and uniform shirt off, revealing a head of shimmering red hair and a clean white shirt, a large red "R" displayed prominently at its center.

"Team Rocket!" The Director gasped as he recognized the logo, sinking even deeper into the thick leather chair in fear.

The second guard, already standing near the door and watching for interruptions emitted an exasperated sigh, "You idiot! You don't know the meaning of discreet, do you?"

"You both need to quiet down, before any of the others hear us!" Tenko hushed, returning her attention to the Director. "Give me the key!"

Gulping and breathing heavily, the Director clenched his eyes closed and shook his head violently, "Never! I'll never assist thieves!"

Rolling her eyes, she sighed loudly as she brushed her hand over her head, pulling off her brown wig and letting her long black hair fall to her shoulders. Tossing the wig to the side, she stared down at the cowering old man and cocked her gun with a loud click, "Why do they always gotta do it the hard way?"

--

The infiltration had been the easiest part. Though the group was notorious for planning their heists on a "as we go along" basis, they had taken extra precautions in this particular job. The Boss had high expectations for one of his highest ranking group of thieves and this was one job they could not afford to muss up. The ancient slab was at his highest of priorities at the moment, even above the usual acquisition of stronger Pokemon, and they would not let him down. First, after the easy kidnapping of one of the professors, Tenko snuck her way into the staff, using Team Rocket's resources and contacts to devise a fake resume and identity and disguising herself as just another Pokemon professor. Shortly after, Liam and Aira followed suit, disguising themselves as security and keeping Tenko's identity, for the most part, a secret within the Pokemon Historical Studies University.

Upon being notified of her meeting with the Director, she knew her cover had been blown at last. It was just as well – the job was growing pretty dull and if they were gonna ever steal the slab, it would be now or never. Now, their leader, Marty, awaited outside in the side alley of the University, two motorcycles parked at his side. Arms crossed over his chest, he leaned against the building, hiding himself in the shadows as he awaited their arrival.

_Why is it taking them so long? I swear, if I have to go in there.._

Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted as he heard approaching footsteps; soon the three darted around the corner of the building and made their way down the alley towards the motorcycles. Sensing their urgency, Marty ran out from the shadows and hopped onto one of the bikes, starting it immediately. Liam and Aira hopped on the other and finally, Tenko climbed on behind Marty.

"What'd you guys do, climb out the window?" He asked as he revved the engine before quickly shaking his head. "Anyway, never mind that. The slab?"

Indicating the heavy parcel she bore tied on her back, Tenko gasped in exhaustion, "I got the old man's slab. Now come on, these heels are killing me – let's get the hell out of here already!"

On that note, the group sped off and out of the alley, making their way west and into the dark forests as they disappeared into the dark of the night. Just seconds after their departure, the university alarms began to sound and the city filled shortly with the chaotic sounds of police cars and ambulances. Late night crowds gathered around the chaos like flies and the excited chatter of gossipers filled the people's ears: Team Rocket had struck again.

--

"Look, Jigglypuff!" Came an excited cry from within the one bedroom apartment in Olivine City. "I'm on tv!"

"Jiggly puff puff?"

The small pink puff ball came bounding in from the neighboring room before bouncing up into the small twin bed and into Tenko's lap. Petting her friend atop the head, Tenko couldn't help but snort in amusement as she watched the events of the last night unfold in the perspective of the news crew.

_"Last night at around midnight, the critically acclaimed Pokemon Historical Studies University of Goldenrod City suffered a terrible robbery at the hands of the notorious, and ever growing, Team Rocket. Though nobody was harmed in the scuffle, it seems that a very precious and confidential artifact has been pilfered by the thieves. A Professor Nakamura is believed to have been involved--"_

At mention of the name, a portrait of the young disguised Tenko appeared on screen, in the usual white lab coat and messy brown hair.

_"--as well as several security guards. As of yet, their true identities have not been confirmed by the only two witnesses, a Mr. Sato, head of the night security, and Director Matsuo; both victims were found bound and tied in the Director's office – notably, with the Director's pants pulled down to his knees.."_

Though she fought the urge as hard as she could, Tenko could not help but sputter and burst out laughing, startling the poor Jigglypuff in her lap. Whenever given the chance, she always chose to amuse herself by humiliating the poor victim's who ended up in their way; her only regret was not being able to see the looks on the faces of the people who discovered them!

"Jiggly.."

"Don't be silly, Jigglypuff," Tenko winked at her mildly annoyed Pokemon. "It's all in good fun. You know I'd never hurt anybody. I just get carried away."

As the news began to move on from the theft to other, less interesting, news, Tenko switched the tv off and let herself fall back on to her bed, stretching her arms out to her sides and wrinkling her sheets as she yawned, tears welling in the corners of her bright green eyes. Jigglypuff turned and sat on Tenko's stomach, looking at her curiously as always. Feeling her stare, Tenko smiled and poked the pink puff's cheek.

"Anyway, I hope you got lots of rest while I was gone yesterday. I know you were disappointed you couldn't come, but everything turned out okay, just like I told you. The guns would have probably scared you anyway."

Simply squeaking in her usual manner, the Pokemon slid off the girl's stomach and lied besides her on the bed, staring up at the ceiling and yawning. Tenko grinned. The two had been friends for years. In fact, she couldn't remember a time when they weren't together; it was impossible really, she realized. Her times back in the old orphanage were hard; she often had trouble sleeping, and before one of the friendlier counselors had captured Jigglypuff for her, she spent most of her time passed out on dozens of different insomnia medications, which only seemed to make things worse and eventually made her very ill. Jigglypuff came along one day, though, and everything changed from then on. Of course, the nightmares that kept her up at night in the first place never really went away. But with a friend, especially one with such a soothing song, she was able to tame them for the most part. She owed a lot to the little thing.

Thrusting herself forward, Tenko sat up once again and after petting the now half asleep Pokemon, she rose to her feet and strolled to the window. It was a bright day outside and several children ran across the side of the three story apartment building, chasing a small Pokemon – probably a Rattata. Their laughter reached even her apartment up on the third floor and she couldn't help but smile. It was a beautiful day indeed.

As she lost herself in thought, she was suddenly interrupted by the ringing of her phone. Walking to the side of the bed and reaching into the drawer, she pulled out a small communicator and holding down the talk button, held it to her lips.

"Tenko here. What's up?"

"I hope you haven't gotten too comfortable," came Marty's voice on the other end. "The Boss wants us back, ASAP."

"What!?" She exclaimed. "Already? But we just got back! He doesn't expect us to travel all the way to Viridian City already, does he?"

"No. Actually, he's on business in Ecruteak City right now."

She sighed, "Well, that's better.. I suppose. What do you think he wants?"

"You got me. Anyway, the three of us are meeting on Route 39. Don't be late this time, alright?"

With that, he hung up and Tenko sighed again, more tired and exasperated than before. By now, Jigglypuff had woken up again and sat staring up at her with a mixture of annoyance and curiosity. Tenko disappeared into the next room, and after a few moments of shuffling and noise, she stepped out, fully uniformed in her Team Rocket get up – boots, shorts, and a white tank top over a tight lime green shirt – the "R" on the tank top written in a bold lime green – and most importantly, the lime green belt which held her five Pokemon as well as the vacant Pokeball that once belonged to Jigglypuff. Reaching into her closet, she pulled out a loose blue denim jacket and pulled it over herself, buttoning it closed to hide her shirt; next she picked up a brown back back on the floor and after slipping her communicator into her jacket pocket, she turned to Jigglypuff with her hand on her hip.

"Well, you heard the man, ya poof ball," she smiled. "Let's get our butts to Route 39!"


End file.
